To Whom It May Concern
by NavyStrong42099
Summary: When Granger enlists Kensi's help for another classified mission in Los Angeles, it sends things spiraling out of control. Kensi is now hunted by the mole she set out to expose, but she is not alone. On the run with Deeks, they learn much about who they are and who they will be as more than just partners- all the while trying to stay alive. Post 6x11
1. Another Classified Mission

**Author's Note:**

**I hope everybody had a fabulous New Year! So, this story takes place after the 6x11 holiday episode, Humbug, and will go AU, apart from the rest of the season, from there. Hope you enjoy! My penname, NavyStrong42099 is dedicated to my brother.**

**-C**

* * *

><p>She had been here before.<p>

In the middle of this alley in downtown Los Angeles. But the memory wasn't connecting. Something was blocking it- like a name of a person you knew but your lips wouldn't form the words...

Kensi reached out in front of her with slightly trembling hands, praying that they would stop for just a moment so she could pick the lock. After working it for several seconds longer than it usually would have taken, it sprang open with ease. She turned around to motion to her partner.

Nobody was there.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, her mouth drier than it ever had been from anxiety. The only awakening feeling was the cold grip of her gun.

She stepped silently into the darkness, not entirely sure where she was but somehow knew where to go. Kensi shuffled forward, listening for any sign that she was not the only living thing in the vicinity.

When she rounded a corner the whole place lit up suddenly. Very clearly, in the middle of the room with blood running from his mouth, was Deeks. Kensi ran to his side, tugging at the straps that held him to the chair. It was as useless as attacking steel with kids' safety scissors. Yet still she clawed until blood ran from her destroyed fingers.

A force was pulling her away from him.

"Deeks!" she cried out, struggling against the invisible, intangible foe. Kensi turned to face this newfound enemy, only to find the shadowy faces of some of their worst opponents lurking in the dark.

She turned back around. There was a gaping hole in the middle of his head.

"Deeks!" Kensi screamed as the darkness took her in…

….and spat her back out in a barely illuminated cave. She was in pain. Such a clawing, gripping pain in her heart, a pounding sensation in her head. Physical wounds burned all over, but nothing had ever sent her into a panic quicker than seeing Deeks dead.

Now the source of her oncoming panic was standing right in front of her. A cloaked figure holding a knife to her neck.

"He's not coming for you…he's not coming for you…he's not coming for you," he repeated over and over and over again.

Kensi felt the hot tears stinging as they scurried down her face. The ground shook beneath as she waited for the aggressor to make the blade meet her skin….

Everything vanished. The ground shook beneath her.

Kensi shot straight up, reaching for a gun that wasn't attached to her hip. She hit something next to her that grunted.

The shaking was gone, but the buzzing noise persisted. She glanced down to see her phone lighting up as somebody called her. Kensi reached for it just as it stopped ringing.

She took a deep breath, waiting for her heart rate to slow. It was nearly impossible while she was still reliving her nightmare.

For reassurance Kensi looked down to her right, where her blond haired, blue eyed partner and, more recently, boyfriend, had just turned over in his sleep. She lightly swept his bangs away from his face, the light of the television confirming that he was unscathed.

The brunette rubbed the grogginess out of her eyes to find that a small, singular tear had made its way from the dream world into reality. She quickly flicked the evidence of the nightmare away. It took a while, but her breathing finally slowed enough so she could hear Deeks's light snoring and the infomercial advertising a vacuum.

Kensi remembered somebody had been calling her, so she began searching the couch pillows for her phone. Her eyes had finally rid themselves of the fuzziness; her vision was clear enough to actually make out the words on the harshly lit screen.

"Granger?" she murmured, voice hoarse.

Kensi began dialing him back when a thought occurred to her. She checked Deeks's phone for any missed calls. Nope, none. As if sensing something was wrong, her partner turned over in his sleep.

_Why would Granger only call me if it we had a case?_

As if the forces of the universe had answered her question, her phone began buzzing again. Kensi rose unsteadily to her feet and stepped on their take out from the night before as she made her way from the living room to the back door. Monty got up to follow her, but she shooed him away. The chilly air quickly woke her up; she knew the conversation about to happen would do even a better job.

"Yeah?" she said, answer Granger's call.

"You know the convenience store on Chapman Road?"

"Sure, but why-"

"I'll see you in the parking lot there. Ten minutes. Come alone."

He hung up.

Kensi massaged her temples. What secret mission could Granger possibly want from her now?

* * *

><p>It was four in the morning on a Saturday and her best friend was still naively asleep on her couch. Kensi could not have been in a worse mood when she set the SRX in park. She knew this place- it was only three blocks or so away from OSP and its being open 247 enticed agents to make a stop there when pulling all-nighters on a case. There have been too many to count for Kensi.

She took note of Granger's car at the side of the building, locked her own vehicle, and proceeded to approach it. Without knocking or any announcement of her arrival, Kensi threw open a passenger door in the back and slumped into the seat.

"Wanna tell me what's so important?" she grumbled.

"Good morning to you too," Granger returned sharply. He turned around to face the agent. "Did you see Jones?"

"You called Nell here too? What's going on?"

"I'm only running through this once, Blye. We'll wait for her."

It was another two minutes before the intelligence analyst showed up, also looking half dead. The usually-chipper woman looked ready to throttle Granger for the unexpected call.

"You two better wake up quickly because this is serious."

Nell and Kensi shot each other a look. Granger handed them each impossibly thick folders. 'Classified' must have been stamped across it at least half a dozen times.

Kensi felt her heart rise in her throat. Before she could stop herself, she found herself asking:

"Is this going to be like last time?"

Granger didn't answer. Rather, he just continued. "We, meaning SECNAV, the director, deputy director, and I, believe that there is an ongoing shift in our enemies. There is a substantial amount of evidence to make us believe that a new terrorist organization has infiltrated NCIS globally in an effort to strike against our military men and women."

Kensi grinded her teeth. If there was any way to go about doing that, NCIS would be a smart place to start in the eyes of the infiltrators. Less obvious, but still holds all the same information.

"Why are you telling us this? Why not Navy SEALs or Special Forces?" Nell inquired.

"We need this worked from the inside. That, and I trust you both."

Trust. The only thing that outranked experience in this line of work.

"So what's the situation here?" asked Kensi.

"Fleet Week 2013- as I'm sure you remember, there was an extremely serious bomb threat. It took days to secure all the ships docked in New York and get everything back in order. Missions were set back. Personnel interrogated- it was a huge mess. This is why Fleet Week no longer exists.

"In any case, nobody owned up to being responsible. Not our usual enemies anyway. Then came several attacks on U.S. Navy ships in the Indian Ocean. We thought they were Somali pirates, but these were far more serious. They demolished a destroyer and rendered others barely fixable.

"At this point a task force was established, consisting of military men and women and NCIS agents abroad. Their names and locations were leaked and within twenty-four hours all of them were dead. Another attack two weeks ago at our naval base in Singapore killed thirty five Navy and Marine officers. In its wake, a group finally claimed responsibility for it.

"They're called VOAM- short for 'Victims of the American Military'. As far as we can tell they have no distinct leader or any identifiable allegiance to a singular race or country. However, they did hint at another major, bigger attack to come.

"You are part of a task force, stretching across the globe, that only includes NCIS personnel whom Director Vance, Deputy Director Stone, and myself have hand chosen. Only SECNAV and those above know the identities of all the team members in order to reduce the chances of another leak. Find out what they're planning and apprehend it."

It was the most Kensi had ever heard Granger say at once, but none of it boded well.

"Where will we be for the duration of the mission?" Kensi asked, mind flashing back to Afghanistan. She couldn't go through something like that again.

"Here, in Los Angeles. You must go about your usual business. Nobody, I repeat nobody, is to be read in on this or have this discussed with other than the people in this car. Understand? Any disclosure will result in immediate disbandment of any NCIS duties- and possible charges in treason."

"Understood," Nell answered promptly.

Kensi only nodded, gripping the edges of the folder as if it were keeping her grounded to the car seat.

"In those folders is also information about the method of contacting other team members. You start tomorrow. Dismissed."

Kensi couldn't get out of the car fast enough. She held the folder against her chest, storming back to her car. It wasn't fair. How could she be dragged into another classified mission like this?

"Kens! Hold up!" Nell called from behind. Kensi forced herself to stop.

Her friend caught up to her as Granger's car disappeared from the lot- leaving the two women alone.

"It's not going to be like Afghanistan," she said quietly. "I have your back."

"A whole task force has already been slaughtered by VOAM. What makes this time any different?"

"Us. We're going to get them, Kens. We'll get through this together."

The corner of Kensi's lip curled into a smile at Nell's optimism. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Night Kens."

"Night Nell."

* * *

><p>The first thing Kensi did was stuff the folder under the mattress in her bedroom. Cliché, yes, but Deeks knew all of her better hiding spots…<p>

How the hell was she going to keep this from Deeks? Partners don't keep secrets…especially not them- not anymore. He would sense something was up almost immediately. She could play a part for a while. Go undercover. But not when that cover was hiding her from the one person who knew her the most.

More than that, she didn't _want _to keep this from him.

She was scared.

Even though there was no possible way sleep would come back to her, Kensi reclaimed her spot on the couch. In his slumber, Deeks' hand had reached forward as if he somehow sensed she wasn't there anymore. She gently lifted his arm, curled up, and moved her hand so it was embraced by his. Reassurance that he was still there.

* * *

><p><strong>Please let me know what you thought! In addition, note that some current events were altered to fit the actual story, and are not actually true.<strong>


	2. The Admiral

_Even though there was no possible way sleep would come back to her, Kensi reclaimed her spot on the couch. In his slumber, Deeks' hand had reached forward as if he somehow sensed she wasn't there anymore. She gently lifted his arm, curled up, and moved her hand so it was half underneath his. Reassurance that he was still there._

* * *

><p>Deeks woke up, hanging halfway off the couch. He wasn't surprised at all by his surroundings: Kensi lying next to him, television almost muted but still on, take-out strewn across the coffee table. Monty lifted his head up from the front of his paws as if to ask: walk?<p>

He reached clumsily for his phone on the coffee table and checked the time. Just after seven in the morning. Deeks sat up, stretching out his aching limbs from sleeping in such a confined space. Speaking of, Kensi was still sound asleep, which was weird since Deeks could have sworn at one point during the night she was gone.

The detective got up and headed for the kitchen, immediately getting to work on making some pancakes. Deeks learned quickly in the world of boyfriend, especially Kensi's- that donuts were meant for the weekday. On the weekends it was homemade chocolate chip pancakes or something from the diner down the street from Deeks's favorite surfing spot.

Deeks had just started mixing the batter when his and Kensi's phones both rang. Uh-oh. He knew what that meant. Kensi mumbled something against her pillow, probably refusing to get up. The blond surrendered his own state of denial and confirmed his suspicions. Case on deck.

"Kens?"

"Yeah I know," she groaned into the pillow. After a moment she lifted her head, her curly hair falling around her shoulders. He loved it that way, but he was a little distracted by the dark rings under her eyes. "I call bathroom first."

Deeks opened his mouth to say something, and ended up letting her go without another word. Something was definitely off. Deciding now was not the best time to ask her about it, Deeks instead grabbed a go-bag he kept stashed in the hall closet and changed into clean clothes in the middle of her living room. He waited a while longer before resorting to brushing his teeth and washing his face at the kitchen sink.

"You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she called from the bathroom. "Go ahead and start the car, I'll be out in a minute."

Deeks tore his gaze away from the hall leading towards the bedroom. He distracted himself by letting Monty outside and making an order to the bakery- looked like it was gonna be a donut day after all.

Even after a large cup of coffee and two large chocolate lovers' donuts, Kensi was still spaced out the entire car ride to the crime scene. It either must have been a pressing case or they were late, because Eric had deferred them straight to the crime scene where Sam and Callen would brief them. In any matter, Deeks made a note to ask her about it later. Now was not the time to get into anything- especially when their personal relationship still was unknown to their team.

As Deeks drove, he thought about the extent of the 'unknown'. Nell might have guessed it. She was a smart lady. Callen and Sam might have chalked their few slip ups down to partner bonding. Eric- forget it. Deeks doubted he was even aware of Nell's feelings for him, let alone a secret relationship between two of their friends. But Hetty was the real question, wasn't she?

Kensi and he hadn't openly discussed telling their team. It was a silent agreement to not outright say it, but not not say something if the opportunity arose. Hetty on the other hand knew everything to begin with. A part of Deeks was convinced she wasn't aware- otherwise one of them would be back with the LAPD or the other on some classified assignment in a desolate part of the world.

Are you okay?" Deeks asked, setting the car in park. He reached for Kensi's hand and linked their fingers together.

She looked down at their hands. "Just tired."

"Kens."

She sighed. Something was definitely bothering her. "I'm good. Can we talk about this later?" Kensi jerked her head in the direction of Deeks's open window.

He turned to see Callen approaching them and quickly broke the contact between him and Kensi. The team leader bent down, poked his head in and asked, "What's the hold up?"

The blond flashed a good-natured smile. He pointed to the empty donut box on Kensi's lap. "This one felt the need to finish another one."

Kensi sent him a pointed look, but it was a believable excuse she had to admit.

Callen's grim countenance didn't change. "You might regret it. It's mess in there."

Deeks and Kensi got out of the car and followed Callen's lead into the house. The brick-walled, window-shuttered exterior did a poor job of preparing them for what was to come.

The blood began at the front door. The trail became more and more obvious as it was followed to an upstairs bedroom. Deeks could smell the carnage before he saw it. Callen was right- he regretted having anything in his stomach.

Sam was off to the side, seemingly on the phone with the Wonder Twins. He bore a grim expression, which was indeed very brave given the remains of the dismembered man in the middle of the room.

"Oh my god," Kensi held a gloved hand to her face, doing a double take at the sight. Just because they were experienced investigators didn't mean that they were accustomed to sights like this. Sam saw the rest of his team enter and quickly ushered them back downstairs.

"What was that?" Deeks asked, watching as even more evidence collectors made their way to the scene of the atrocity.

"Those were the remains of Navy Admiral Jake Johnson," Sam answered. "Nell was just able to ID him. He was renting this house, hence the lack of personal affects."

"Navy Admiral- does this mean this was a revenge killing?" Kensi implored.

"Given that, I'm going with yes," Callen answered. "Look, we have to wait until they clean up the place a little. In the meantime, go door to door, see if the neighbors know anything."

* * *

><p>They hit half the houses on the block and nothing useful came out of it. Everybody said the same thing- quiet guy, kept to himself, but didn't cause any trouble. Deeks and Kensi walked up the path to the nineteenth house, remaining mostly quiet after the carnage they had seen. As repeated so many times before, Kensi rang the bell and knocked. A middle-aged man answered, knowing why they were there immediately.<p>

"Is this about all the police cars?" He asked, gesturing down the street.

"Special Agent Kensi Blye, this is my partner Detective Marty Deeks. We need to ask you a few questions."

"Uh," the man looked back. "Can we make it quick? My daughter has a basketball game."

"Sir, a man is dead. We just need to..."

Deeks looked back over the man's shoulder. A teenage girl was halfway down the stairs, saw them, and fled like a preyed mouse.

"Can you call your daughter back down here?" Deeks interrupted Kensi.

The man turned to his body towards him, an annoyed expression on his face. "Why do you need to speak with my daughter?"

"We need to interview every single person on this block, and that includes children," Kensi explained, shooting Deeks a sideways glance.

The man sighed and called back in the house, "Catherine!" When he didn't get an answer, he beckoned Kensi and Deeks to come inside.

"Catherine!" he paused. "Wait here for a moment please." He stomped up the stairs, making threats when something caught Deeks's eye. Through the large windows facing the side yard he could see a figure sprinting towards the front of the house. Without a word the detective dashed out the front door and ran right in front of the teenager.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked.

"Hey, hey, hey," he reassured, putting his hands lightly on her biceps. "Catherine, right? I just need to talk to you."

"Deeks?" Kensi called from the front porch.

"You're not in any trouble, we just wanna talk, ok?" He repeated.

Catherine looked at him with big brown eyes and started crying in the spot. "I swear I didn't do anything!"

"Alright, so then let's talk."

Fifteen minutes later, Kensi, Deeks, and the man, Mark Tyler, and his daughter Catherine were sitting around a table in the backyard. They finally got the teen to calm down enough to begin telling them the story.

"My friend Hannah and I were out late last night at her boyfriend's house. When we were coming home, we cut through our neighbors' houses. We got to Mr. Johnson's house when we hid in the bushes because there were strange men in the yard."

"What did these men look like?" Kensi asked.

Catherine bit her lip and blinked nervous tears out of her eyes. "I couldn't tell. They were dressed in dark clothes. But there were five…no, six of them there."

"Ok, what happened after you hid in the bushes?"

"Hannah left because she was scared. But I stayed. They broke into the house and took out guns. That's when I ran."

"And you didn't call the police?" Deeks clarified.

Catherine shook her head. "I was worried they would come after me."

The detective looked over at Kensi. "I think we're done here. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." He pushed a LAPD business card over to them.

* * *

><p>"There are no security cameras in the area to go off of what the girl Catherine Tyler told us. However, Nell and I were able to find a video on a file sharing website," Eric said later that day with a grim expression.<p>

The entire team was gathered in the ops center, watching attentively the video Eric described began playing. It was focused on Admiral Johnson in the same room where he was killed. Already, blood was everywhere. Behind the Navy Admiral were two men wearing black and gray camouflage pants and raven shirts. The defining piece to the uniform was a sanguine mask covering half their face.

"Stop it there," Sam ordered. "Zoom in on the men in the background."

Eric did as he asked.

"I recognize them from somewhere," the ex-Navy SEAL insisted.

"You probably would," Nell said. "That is the signature look of a new terrorist organization called VOAM, or Victims of American Military."

"So what do they have to do with our dead Admiral?" Callen asked.

"Looking into his background, there were a lot of questions raised about the utilization of Special Forces in the first and second Iraq Wars. Certain actions taken that resulted in the death of civilians."

"Where does this leave our case?" Deeks implored.

"For now, at a dead end, Mr. Deeks," Hetty interrupted. "We've been told to back off by the CIA while they sort out this matter for themselves."

"What? This is NCIS jurisdiction!" Callen protested.

"The CIA is investigating VOAM in connection to an attack in Singapore, Mr. Callen. We are most definitely off this case. I already received an earful from their director." When nobody moved, she said in a firmer voice, "Well don't just stand there—there's paperwork to be done!"

The agents walked dejectedly back to their desks in silence. Before Callen sat down, he said. "I can't sit still right now. I'm running out to get lunch. Sam, wanna come with?"

He nodded, leaving Kensi and Deeks alone in their little bullpen. Kensi buried herself in her paperwork, something Deeks took note of. Usually it took her forever to complete it. He wheeled his chair from out behind his desk and next to Kensi's.

"Kensalinaaa," Deeks probed in a sing-song voice.

Kensi put her pen down and massaged her temples. "Before you ask, I couldn't sleep last night."

Deeks frowned. "Something I can help you with?"

The brunette bit her lip, bearing a saddened expression. "Not really." She squeezed Deeks's hand gently—the extent of their contact at work. "But I appreciate you asking."

He smiled at her. "Well I'll be, you know," he threw a hand over his shoulder, "a few feet away if you need."

Kensi laughed and watched him wheel back to his desk. But Deeks still got the feeling that something was still off.


	3. Wining, Dining, and Conniving

**Author's Note:**

**Wow, I am blown away by the response this story received. 50 followers and a dozen reviews. I've had a pretty shitty week, but you all certainly made it better :)**

**-C**

* * *

><p><em>The brunette bit her lip, bearing a saddened expression. "Not really." She squeezed Deeks's hand gently—the extent of their contact at work. "But I appreciate you asking."<em>

_He smiled at her. "Well I'll be, you know," he threw a hand over his shoulder, "a few feet away if you need."_

_Kensi laughed and watched him wheel back to his desk. But Deeks still got the feeling that something was still off._

* * *

><p>One Week Later<p>

"They lost the lead!? Which team?"

"Codename Churchill, but look that doesn't really matter," Nell continued. "Granger wants to meet with us tonight."

Kensi cursed under her breath and angrily sent some of the papers that were laid out on her bed flying. Saturday night was date night. Hell the whole weekend was. But tonight Deeks promised her something special.

"Let me guess. This time slot is nonnegotiable."

"Are things with Granger ever negotiable?"

"Right. Well, the thing is-"

A beeping interrupted Kensi from explaining to Nell that she couldn't go. She looked at her screen, a bit perplexed by the unknown caller ID. Kensi was about to ignore it when the 917 area code finally clicked.

"Nell I gotta call you back."

She promptly answered the incoming call, not speaking. Damn her thinking of saying things and then not actually saying them. Kensi just sat there on her bed, waiting for the person on the other end to say something.

"Hello? Kensi?"

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Do I have the right number? Hello?"

"No, no, I'm here," Kensi reassured. "Um, h-how are you? Jack?"

"I'm okay. Back in the states. My daughter and I found an apartment in New York. How are you?"

"I, uh, I'm good." Kensi heard a car door slam and began sweeping up the papers.

"I'm getting the sense that now's not a good time."

"It's not that I don't want to talk, but you're right. I gotta go. I'll call you when I can."

"Alright. Bye Kensi."

"Bye Jack."

Kensi sat there on the bed, phone in one hand, staring off into space. He had said he would call when he could...but Kensi didn't believe him. She certainly didn't expect him to. Her heart was beating rapidly as memories of Afghanistan came flooding back. The only thing that plled her out from it was a shout from Deeks: "I'm home!"

Despite the situation, Kensi's stomach did a somersault. Home. He called this home.

Kensi swept her hair back and went to go meet Deeks out in the living room. She looked down for a text from Nell and ended up running right into him.

"Hey, I didn't know you were that happy to see me!" Deeks jibed, setting a bag of groceries on the floor.

"Whatcha got there?" Kensi went to go peek in the bag, but he brushed it aside with his foot.

"No peeking," he smiled. "It's for tonight."

"I'm dying to know what it is."

"Noted. Definitely noted." Deeks stared into her eyes. He brushed her hair behind her ear, leaving his fingers trailing on her cheek. At the same time, they went in for a kiss.

When they parted, Kensi asked, "Anything I need to get ready for tonight?"

"Casual dress." He kissed the top of her head. "And a shower definitely."

She stepped away from him teasingly. "I see how it is. No kisses for you then."

"Mmm, I have something to say about that," Deeks poked her in the sides.

Kensi laughed, swatting at his arms but his attack kept coming. "Deeks!"

He finally managed to catch her in an embrace from behind, planting a firm kiss to her temple. "We don't get to do that enough."

"I know," Kensi said solemnly. She turned back around to face him and automatically laid her head on his chest. "I'll take what I can get."

When they finally separated, the first thing Kensi did was send a text to Nell that read: Can't make it tonight.

If Granger wanted a covert op run, then he could deal with her absence for one night of the mission.

* * *

><p>"Everything you hoped for?"<p>

"Everything I wasn't expecting, but yes, I'm enjoying myself," Kensi answered with a wide grin.

They were walking along a twilight-lit beach hand in hand. Kensi carried her sandals, Deeks lugged a cooler, and the ocean licked at their ankles. The couple finally reached a secluded stretch of sand that was hidden from a street and relatively deserted.

"Right here?" Deeks asked.

"Sounds good to me."

He spread out a thick blanket on top of the sand and set the cooler on the sand in front of them while facing the shore. Kensi watched as he pulled out a carefully wrapped anti-pasta platter completed with red wine.

"You really went all out," she remarked, helping to remove the plastic from the dish.

"Only the best for you Kensalina," Deeks said. "You seemed stressed out recently and we haven't been to the beach in a while so boom. Here we are."

Kensi's stomach twinged with guilt when he mentioned her being stressed. Oh he definitely knew something was up, but respected her too much to pry. She looked at him, trying to read his expression. He was so focused on pouring the wine to the point where it was obvious he was dodging her eyes. "There's something else though, isn't there?"

Deeks fondled with a grape before plucking it off and palming it. "Although we've only been official for a little while, I think we both know we've been together for longer. I can't help thinking about things like: do the others know? Does Hetty know? What if it comes to the point where we're constantly lying to the most important people in our lives?"

Kensi bit her lip. She contemplated while chewing on a cracker and cheese. "Are you saying you want to tell them?"

"Oh god no. You might be safe but Callen and Sam are coming after me." The brunette laughed, making Deeks ease up. He continued, "My hide will be adorning their living rooms."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Personally I like where your hide is."

"Please we both know you'd be watching them come after me and laughing your ass off as they did so."

"It's only because I love you."

Both agents froze. Even Kensi was surprised at her own words yet knew that nothing in the entire universe was more genuine, more truthful, more real. Deeks looked so surprised, Kensi almost felt sorry for him. So she swallowed her trepidation and said:

"I do though. I lov-"

Kensi only made it that far when Deeks captured the rest of her words and her lips with his. This whole cutting-off-words-with-kisses thing was becoming a common theme; Kensi wasn't, by any means, growing tired of it.

They separated, but only just. His nose and hers were still snugly next to each other, their foreheads pressed together, their lips brushing barely. "I love you too. I love you so much Kens."

Kensi's heart was throbbing against her chest with such a force she thought it would burst and she highly suspected Deeks was experiencing a similar sensation. From dancing around each other to dancing with each other after all these years was…freeing.

Their moment was interrupted when a large dog sprinted right in front of them, the owner yelling wildly and chasing them.

Kensi turned her head away from Deeks to watch the scene. She growled, "It's always something, isn't it?"

He laughed and dropped a kiss to the corner of her mouth. She could see him waggling his eyebrows at her. "Not at home."

She rightfully and lightly punched him in the arm while her cheeks flushed a dark red. Deeks chinked his glass of wine to hers and said, "To our thing."

Kensi smirked. "To our thing."

They finished the rest of their meal without much interruption from beachgoers at that hour. The city lights in the distance were the only reminder that Kensi and Deeks weren't the only people on planet earth at the moment. Just when Kensi thought that the night was over, her incredible partner, in more than one sense of the word, pulled out a few chocolate covered strawberries.

"I think they might have melted a little bit, but they're still good," Deeks said as he offered one to her.

Kensi popped one into her mouth and almost melted herself. She could tell he made them using really good chocolate, which only made the fruit taste sweeter. There were only four, so they finished them off quickly.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to leave yet," she smiled.

"I think I can deal with that," Deeks returned. He reached for her hand and pulled her flat onto the blanket. She automatically tucked herself into his side, her head resting on his chest. Their intertwined hands rested on Deeks's stomach. A shiver ran down Kensi's spine as he began drawing circles on her side with his free hand.

They remained that way for a long time, not saying a word, because none were needed. Kensi felt herself drifting off to sleep when a sudden question rose her from her state.

"Does your mom know about us?"

Kensi couldn't help but laughing at the randomness and the profound concern in her boyfriend's voice. "What?"

"Your mom. Does she know that we're together?"

"I told her we had something going on."

"How long ago was this?"

"About a year now."

"Wait- what?"

Kensi rolled over so she was facing Deeks. "Before I was sent away I told her that we had something between the two of us that we were trying to sort out. When I got back she didn't press because I was dealing with other….stuff."

"So as far as she's concerned, we've been boyfriend and girlfriend for a year."

"Not exactly. Closer to three months. I told her we figured us out after we talked about everything the night we rescued Sam and Callen from the submarine."

"Which is kinda true, I guess. We were being safe, though."

"Right. So, to answer your question, that's what my mom knows."

"Good. Solid." Deeks said.

"We'll have dinner with her when she gets back from the cruise. I promise."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. I know it means a lot to you."

Deeks wrapped his arms around Kensi and pulled her even closer. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

><p>Kensi threw on an LAPD shirt that was lying on Deeks's dresser and some sweats of hers that were still on his bedroom floor from a few nights ago. She left her counterpart sleeping peacefully (and quite naked) as she snuck out to his apartment balcony with the untraceable phone clutched tightly in her hand. At exactly one in the morning, as planned, it began buzzing.<p>

"What did I miss, Nell?"

"A very angry Granger. He's pissed, Kens. I hope you have a good excuse for missing the meet."

"Don't worry about me. Anything I need to know?"

"Yeah. Granger has a friend who works as a communications officer aboard an aircraft carrier. He's supposedly not park of the task force but our assistant director requested he keep an ear open for chatter anyway. Apparently this officer, named Robinson, suspects that he might have found the mole. He was able to pick up irregularities from an embassy in Iran, specifically tied to an ex-special forces officer who now works for a special division of NCIS. He's used mainly as a translator and protective detail to political figures. He would have the means to access the information for the attacks."

"Okay, so this is good news. We're that much closer to finding out what their next target might be."

"Yes, except you're going to have to do some lifting on this. Robinson has all the information, which is all in either Arabic or Pashtu. According to Granger, his friend only speaks Arabic."

"So he wants me to translate the other half of the intel. He does know that my Pashtu isn't as fluent as somebody like Sam, right? There's gotta be somebody else on the task force more qualified for this."

"To avoid another leak, Granger wants you to meet with Robinson in person and translate the information together. Fortunately for us, Robinson's ship docked in Los Angeles a few hours ago."

Kensi ran a hand over her face and silently prayed. Deeks's birthday was in five, well, now four days, and this was something she couldn't lie to him about anymore if it put a wedge in their relationship. "When is the meet?"

"I don't know. Granger said he, and I quote, 'wants to have a word with you at work Monday.'"

"Great. I'm so looking forward to that."

"Get some sleep, Kens. I have a feeling that it's only gonna get worse from here on out."

"Same here, Nell. Same here."


	4. The Eavesdropper

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you all for the continued support and wonderful reviews! Sorry this is kind of a short chapter, the next is much longer. With mid-terms in a week, I'm not sure how often I'll update, but I promise to do my best.**

**-C**

_"__I don't know. Granger said he, and I quote, 'wants to have a word with you at work Monday.'"_

_ "__Great. I'm so looking forward to that."_

_ "__Get some sleep, Kens. I have a feeling that it's only gonna get worse from here on out."_

_ "__Same here, Nell. Same here."_

* * *

><p>"Come on, one hint."<p>

"Not a chance."

"If you won't give me a hint about what you got me at least give me control of the radio."

"Not a chance," Kensi repeated with a wicked grin. "Your birthday's in three days, not right now."

Deeks cringed as she turned up the music even louder. The techno was going to blow his speakers. They deserved so much better than the wretched tune Kensi enjoyed so much.

"I'm going to make you a playlist of good music one of these days. And you're going to thank me late for it. You'll see."

"Yeah right."

They pulled into the lot at OSP and Deeks drastically turned down the volume before killing his truck's engine. "Ready princess?"

She pecked his cheek. "Ready."

They left the car and walked into the bullpen, side by side. Sam and Callen were already at it, bringing back playing basketball with newspaper and the recycling bin.

"H-O-R!" Callen exclaimed. "You're getting old, partner."

"You better watch it," Sam warned him.

"Morning!" Deeks called out gleefully, setting his messenger bag down on his desk.

"I bet even Deeks would be better at this than you," G jibed.

"You know, I would. I played basketball a lot."

"Alright, challenge accepted. Call your shot."

He tossed him a wadded up newspaper. He twirled it in his hand once, contemplating his shot. "Left hook, nothing but net."

"Agent Blye!"

Granger's voice pulled the three men away from their game to see him storming down the stairs from the ops center. They had hardly seen him since they exposed the traitor in their midst, but he never failed to greet them like this. Deeks looked at Kensi. She didn't seem surprised to see him.

"Yes, Assistant Director?"

Granger glanced at Sam, Callen, and Deeks, as if fully recognized their presence for the first time. He said to Kensi in a low voice, "Let's take a walk."

Deeks watched as they rounded a corner in the direction of the burn room. He bit his lip, his brow furrowed. He wasn't stupid. He knew something was going on with Kensi, and today, he decided was the day he was going to find out what.

"That was strange," Callen said.

"Better not to ask when it comes to Granger," Sam added. "Well, Deeks?"

Without a word, the blond aced the shot as called.

"What do you know, the kid does have skills."

He walked away from his teammates, following where Kensi and Granger had gone. Deeks passed the empty burn room and made for the armory, one of the only places that would be somewhat secluded in this building. The blond made it down into the basement where he heard voices talking in harsh tones.

"…the hell were you thinking!?" He only caught the end of Granger's sentence.

"_You _picked me for this, Granger. If I'm really that important, then I think you can handle one check in without me."

"Blye-"

"When's the meeting with Robinson?"

Granger must have swallowed whatever grievance he was about to say and muttered, "Tonight. Here's the information."

He handed her something, and Deeks decided it was time to go. The blond ducked into a storage closet and waited a couple of minutes. Putting his ear to the door and confirming that nobody was around, he slipped out from his hiding spot. Deeks trotted back upstairs to the bullpen, but Kensi still wasn't back. Sam and Callen were going about their game, ignoring Deeks as he sat back down at his desk. He kept his blue eyes on the watch for Kensi while pretending to do paperwork.

At last she came back empty handed and from the direction of the gym. Whatever Granger gave her was probably stashed in her bag in the locker room.

"What was that all about?" Callen jumped to the question before Deeks had the chance.

"He needed to ask me a few questions about the DOJ's investigation in connection to Afghanistan. Nothing to worry about," Kensi brushed it off. Sam and Callen didn't look too convinced yet they knew better than to press. Deeks did as well, but was far less considerate of it.

He tried to make eye contact with Kensi though she was avoiding him. Deeks looked at the time in the corner of his laptop screen. A full work day later and he would get the chance to ask.

* * *

><p>Hours later, he and Kensi remained in the front seat of the truck in Kensi's driveway, unmoving as an unrelenting downpour of rain grabbed their attention. They had been silent the whole day and the entire way home.<p>

"How much did you hear?" Kensi asked first, only slightly surprising her partner.

Deeks paused before answering. "Enough to know that there's something going on that you're not telling me about."

"I would if I could."

"Could or want?"

Kensi closed her eyes. "Deeks, please don't do this."

"Why can't you tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm trying to protect you."

Deeks let his head fall against the headrest. "And who's watching your back?"

She bit her lip. "I can't exactly divulge that either."

"I almost lost you in Afghanistan, Kens. I'm not letting that happen again. Please, just tell me what's going on!"

"I'll make a deal with you. I-"

"Kensi-"

"Please just hear me out," she begged. She bore a tired and almost desperate gleam in her eye that shut Deeks up pretty quick. He was protective of her and would die for her, but he also trusted her explicitly. "I can't tell you what's going on. Okay? Can't, not that I don't want to. It's more than just protecting you. You don't ask questions, but the moment I feel that I need you to watch my back, I'll tell you everything."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Deeks nodded. "Okay. No questions."

"Thank you," she said, giving him a hug, albeit awkward given their position. "I have to run, but I'll come by your apartment when I'm finished."

"See you then, Kens. Be safe." He kissed her forehead and felt his insides churn at the sad smile she offered him.

Deeks pulled out of her driveway and didn't wait to see if Kensi was leaving. He turned down a side street and shut off his engine, watching the main road. As soon as he saw her car pass, his truck found itself tailing Kensi's SRX.


	5. The Worst is Yet to Come

_Deeks pulled out of her driveway and didn't wait to see if Kensi was leaving. He turned down a side street and shut off his engine, watching the main road. As soon as he saw her car pass, his truck found itself tailing Kensi's SRX._

* * *

><p>Kensi arrived at the designated meeting place, a shady motel in downtown Los Angeles, thirty minutes after leaving Deeks- fifteen later than the designated meeting time. Kensi huddled close to the door, trying to escape the downpour of icy rain. Knocking briskly several times, she waited impatiently for the communications officer to answer. Finally the door opened and she was hauled inside by an unseen figure.<p>

When Kensi had regained her footing, she finally met eyes with her supposed ally. He was middle-aged, bald, clean cut. Nothing outstanding about him except for the gun in his hands. After he was satisfied with visual confirmation, he returned the weapon to his jeans.

"That seemed a little excessive," Kensi said, rubbing her wrist where he had grabbed her.

"You're late. I wasn't sure who could be out there."

"If it were the bad guys, I doubt they would have knocked." Her eyes drifted to the single bed, where several files were laid out across the sheets. There were more scattered around the floor and on the dresser. It was a lot more than what she was expecting.

"Robinson," he ignored her comment and introduced himself.

"Kensi Blye," she returned.

"Granger said you were coming, I'm assuming to translate the intel in Pashtu. There isn't much of it. You can help me with the rest when you're done. Granger said you speak Arabic?"

"He's exaggerating. It's rudimentary-"

"Exaggerating? It's also in your file. Rudimentary won't stop this attack, or whatever it is they're planning," Robinson bit back. He returned to the documents he was reading on the little table next to the television. Kensi rolled her eyes and snatched a pad of paper from the bed, finding a folder titled in Pashtu.

She meticulously went through every word, copying down key phrases in English- or at least what would pass for key phrases. Most of what she was translating didn't make any sense. Dates and times already passed, names already known. How was this new intelligence?

* * *

><p>Kensi didn't realize how much time had gone by before rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes and glancing at the clock. Robinson didn't seem to notice or care, for he was still scribbling away.<p>

At last he spoke. "A lot of these contacts are in America, but not all of them are connected to the military. I would conclude that the attack would not only be against our military personnel, but within the country itself."

"It's a start," Kensi sighed. "But that could mean anything from targeting a docking ship to the Navy Ball. All I'm getting are names and dates that we already know of. I have a theory that whoever is trading intel, used what I have as sort of a log."

"If this is in Arabic and Pashtu then that narrows down who exactly will be executing to the plan. There are groups all over the world part of VOAM, at least now we've narrowed down a specific part." Robinson must have caught Kensi's straying eye to the clock on the wall, for he concluded, "Tired eyes and weary minds won't get any further productivity tonight. We'll finish this tomorrow morning."

"I have work," Kensi said.

"Call in sick," he sharply ordered. "We can't meet here again. There has been a secondary location cleared. An abandoned middle school a few blocks from here." Robinson took a napkin and scrawled something on it, handing it to Kensi he was done. "I'll see you there."

"See you there," Kensi repeated, pocketing the note and leaving the hotel room. It was still raining when she stepped outside, now well into the late hours of the night. She returned to her car, double checking the time and address before heading back to Deeks's apartment.

She double-timed it up the steps and to his bedroom. Kensi didn't even bother changing she was so tired. He was asleep on the left side of the bed, saving the favored side for her. Smiling, she snuggled next to him.

"Glad to see you're back," Deeks said.

Kensi returned, "I told you I'd be okay." She ran a hand through his hair, but quickly retracted it. It was wet, but not the fluffy wet it was after a shower. It was matted and cold. From the rain.

"Kens-" he tried to start, knowing he had been caught.

"You followed me!?" She sat up straight in bed.

"I-"

"What happened to the deal we made?"

He sat up too, turning on the light. "To be fair, I didn't ask any questions."

"You don't trust me," the brunette accused. "I told you I was being secretive for your sake and that if I needed your help I would have asked for it."

"It's not you I don't trust, it's the people you're working with."

"But you still didn't expect me to make the right call." Kensi dropped down to the mattress, turning her back to Deeks. After a long and awkward silence, she ended the conversation with a terse "'Night."

* * *

><p>Kensi awoke the next morning to an empty bed. She heard Deeks in his living room, but didn't get up to meet him. She immediately had Hetty on the phone and called in sick while she searched for a clean change of clothes that Kensi kept in her partner's closet.<p>

She emerged from the bedroom, coming face to face with Deeks. An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

"You once told me that I was the only person you trusted," he began. "And I never told you it back. I have never trusted anyone in my life as much as I do you."

The brunette sighed. "I may have overreacted a bit last night. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I care too much about you to get you involved."

"Okay, so then you must know how I feel right now being on the other side of that," Deeks insisted.

"I have Nell watching my back, okay? That should make things a little bit easier for you at least."

The detective resigned, knowing that was the best he could do for now. "Our deal still stands. You call me if you need back-up."

"Count on it," she offered him a smile. "I'm going to a meet now. I'll text you when I'm finished to let you know that I'm alright."

"What about work?"

"Took care of that already. Bye Deeks," she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Bye Kens." And with that, her shaggy partner disappeared out the front door.

Kensi grabbed a muffin and a cup of coffee, nearly sprinting to her car. She drove a similar route as the night before, the rush hour traffic and rain causing a slight delay in reaching her destination. Roughly an hour later, she pulled up alongside the fenced off school. It was three stories, missing windows and boarded up in several places. Certainly this place seemed to be an unlikely meeting place.

Kensi waited in the SRX for a few more minutes and looked for signs of Robinson. She grew tired of waiting, slipped through the fence, and began walking around the first floor.

Shadows danced on the floor, making her stomach twinge uncomfortably. She called out for Robinson and only received echoes in return. Kensi walked past the stairwell, deciding to clear the other floors before assuming Robinson hadn't arrived yet.

The second floor proved to be fruitless as well. The only door that opened was an abandoned janitors' closet. With an eerie feeling, Kensi continued up into the third floor, and found herself in the scene of some horror movie. Trash littered the floor, tiles were absent from chunks of the wall. Old projects still clung to the plaster by a single piece of tape.

She walked down the corridor, careful not to make more noise than necessary. Down the hall, she spotted a door hanging open. Something told her not to yell for Robinson. Kensi reached the room and stepped inside.

Desks were stacked up against the opposite wall and chairs were lying at every angle possible. Kensi stepped to the center of the room, and something caught her eye along the back wall.

Something being a body.

She ran to its side, dropping to her knees. Indeed, it was Robinson, robbed of the files they were determined to translate.

Kensi ran a hand over her face. So they were blown.

Kensi stood up to leave when the clip of a rapid fire weapon was emptied in her direction. She ducked behind a metal desk just in time, the bullets embedded themselves in the frame on the other side. Heart racing and palms sweating, Kensi gripped her weapon and fired several times at her assailant. Driving them back with her return fire, she poked her ahead above her lousy cover. She aimed at the man in the doorway, her rounds finding their mark only in the arm.

The other, taking refuge behind a turned over filing cabinet, droved Kensi back behind the desk. She emptied the rest of her clip at the one she didn't already hit. A large thump in the silence when the second, injured man was reloading told her he was dead.

Kensi took aim and shot, but her gun clicked empty. Without thinking, she drew her father's knife and hurled it with expert precision at the second man. A knife protruding from his heart he also fell. Both men were of Arab descent. The brunette quickly ran from her hiding spot, retrieved her weapon, and made a dash for the nearest stairwell.

She sprinted down one flight, rounded the landing, and caught sight of two more men at the second floor door. Immediately gun fire forced her to duck away. Kensi clung onto her knife. She listened to the gunshots the enemy was causing. Timing it perfectly, Kensi threw her blade for the second time at one of the men. She nearly jumped down the stairs and tackled the other man to the ground.

Although Kensi had the initial blow, he managed to recover by throwing her off of him and standing up. She grabbed the knife from the stomach of the now dead guy and held it so to prepare herself to block any strike he may deal.

Kensi's back was forced to the flight of stairs that would take them halfway to the first floor. Without warning save a battle cry, the man launched himself at Kensi.

Her shoulder hit the stair first, sending boiling pain up through her arm and into her chest. She lost all sense of direction as they tumbled over and over another, no body part spared from a beating.

When they finally stopped moving, Kensi went to punch him with her right arm, but it fell short when the agony radiating from her shoulder became too much. She didn't have much time to think about it, for she had barely risen to her feet when a kick sent her sprawling down the second flight of stairs. Kensi hit the landing first with her back and then her head. For a few brief moments, her vision was swimming and thoughts foggy. The meaty hands around her throat quickly shook her back to reality.

Kensi scrambled at the man who was now on top of her. Something gleaming caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. The knife. She reached as far as her injured shoulder would allow and grasped it only by her fingertips. With a swift and practiced blow, she slashed the blade across his throat.

The man went limp on top of her, and it took all of Kensi's strength to roll him to the side. She attempted to move her arm, yet the pain prevented it from moving very far for the second time. Kensi stood, the sound of trampling feet from above sending her running from the stairwell.

She held her shoulder in a fixed position with her arm taut against her stomach as she fled, passing through a somewhat familiar hall. Kensi reached for her phone without stopping. Her hand closed around it but did not take it out. She came to the door she had broken in through. Kensi used her body to push it open, making a dash for her car. Suddenly the ground in front of her began to explode, or rather, deflect the bullets fired at it. Sparks and heat shot up at Kensi and forced her to run for cover in a doorway.

She was pinned down. The remaining men in the building would run past her at any moment and the unseen shooter with the rapid fire weapon prevented her from running now. Kensi pulled out her phone, tapping furiously at the cracked screen. It took a beating during her fall down the stairs and showed no sign of turning on again. Checking her pockets, she found that she had lost the satellite phone as well. All she had left was an extra magazine (useless without her gun) and her father's knife. To be sure, she tried the door. Yep, locked and boarded up. No way out there either.

"One bad guy at a time," she said, kissing the hilt of her father's knife. She pressed herself up against the brick and waited.

Her prediction held true. She watched as two men ran past the alcove, the third trailing just a little behind. Kensi stuck from her hiding place and drove her knife into the enemy's back. His two friends turned around and began firing, but the newly dead man proved to be a competent human shield. The brunette took his gun, shooting randomly in their direction and she hauled the guy across the driveway they were in.

Her SRX was blocked by her assailants and there was no getting to it. However, beyond the fence that separated the school from a tiny office building were scattered cars waiting to be used. Kensi reached the edge of the fence, and with a desperate jump, managed to haul herself over it.

The bullets from the man in the aerial position continued, but it was too far away to pose any serious threat. The other tried to follow Kensi, proving to have a little trouble clearing the fence.

She didn't look back after having her eyes set on an idle motorcycle. Smaller than a car and it took less time to hotwire as well. Kensi set to work on it and kicked the engine to life faster than she ever had before. She revved the engine and took off, leaving the school and her attackers well behind her.

Her shoulder throbbed and body ached, but these were minor when her thoughts began flowing again. Somebody found out about the meet. Robinson was dead and that could only mean that the room had been bugged. By whom? And how?

Kensi remembered what Granger told her about the last team that worked this. All dead within twenty-four hours after they were compromised. Right now, she could only hope that nobody else had been exposed since she was the only other one beside Robinson who were at the first meet.

She tried to form a plan, but nothing even came close to being sufficient for this. A terrorist organization had her name, probably her personal information. All Kensi could do now, she concluded, was run.


	6. Find Her

_She tried to form a plan, but nothing even came close to being sufficient for this. A terrorist organization had her name, probably her personal information. All Kensi could do now, she concluded, was run._

* * *

><p>"Kensi's not coming into work today?" Callen asked when the clock ticked 9:30.<p>

"No, she called in sick," Deeks answered, opening up a window on his laptop. He had to take care of some e-mails on LAPD business. Every time he did, he was reminded of the fact that officially, his post at NCIS was temporary. Either side could break ties and boom, he would be gone. He had thought long and hard about turning in his agent application form, but truth was, if Hetty felt the need to separate him and Kensi again, he could walk back to being a cop. It was better than having his partner be sent halfway across the world again.

"What does she have? Kensi never gets sick," Sam remarked.

"No clue. She just sent me a text saying she wasn't coming in."

Deeks looked to the landing, half expecting to see Eric calling them to a case. Instead what he found at the top of the stairs was Granger speaking with a man about twenty years younger than assisstant director. What they did have in common, however, were grim expressions and cheap suits in a casual setting.

"Who's that?" Deeks asked, not tearing his eyes away from the pair.

"Our deputy director," Callen answered.

"I've never seen him before."

"He usually works out of Washington. We're not sure why he's here, but it can't be good if he and Granger have been hanging out," Sam said.

Deeks watched them closely, barely paying attention to the work he was pretending to be completing. They disappeared for a while but his own foreboding thoughts did not. He observed anxiously as the time ticked well into the late morning and there hadn't been a single word from Kensi. He took out his phone and gave her a call.

When it went straight to voicemail, he didn't let a single moment waste. He hopped up from his desk chair on a mission to find Nell. Deeks marched up the stairs and turned down the walkway for the ops center when he saw Granger and his new friend heading towards him.

"Detective Deeks," Granger greeted.

Inwardly groaning, Deeks continued on with a brisk, "'Morning."

"Wait just a moment," the assistant director prevented the detective from continuing forward. "Have you met Deputy Director Stone?"

"I have not," he answered, turning to the man. He was roughly Deeks's height and build, and they were probably around the same age too. Stone bore an emotionless expression, but his green eyes showed the intelligence of a man who had methodically planned out his entire career. Deeks had met this type before, and wasn't entire sure what to think of him. It didn't help in Stone's case that his hair was combed over with too much gel.

"Marty Deeks. LAPD liaison," he said, sticking out his hand and forcing a curt smile.

Stone firmly received it. "Sean Stone. Pleasure."

"Excuse me, but I have to get back to work," Deeks backed away, continuing on his path. He briskly walked into the ops center, searching the room for the intelligence analyst. His search proved unsuccessful, so he settled with her partner. "Eric, where's Nell?"

The blond techie nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Deeks's demanding tone. He closed out of whatever he was working on and stammered, "I-I uh think she's downstairs."

Deeks clapped him on the shoulder before turning on his heel. He approached the railing and looked out to check to see if he could spot Nell on the ground floor.

"Deeks!" He looked to his left, where the person he was so determined to find came trotting towards him. Before Deeks could open his mouth, Nell implored, "Have you heard from Kensi?"

"I was about to ask the same thing. You haven't heard from her either?"

"Not since last night."

Deeks hit the railing with his fist, sending it wobbling from the force. He ran a hand through his hair and turned back to Nell. "Find her, now!"

"Is there a problem here?" Granger called out from across the way.

Deeks clenched his hands with rage. He bit his tongue from making some smart-ass remark that would probably get him benched for a week and remembered what Kensi told him about the secretive nature of this mission. So his settled for a curt shake of the head and retreated into the operations center.

Nell was working furiously on her tablet, careful to keep things off the big screen. Deeks pulled up a chair next to where she was working and looked over her shoulder. For once, Eric wasn't around to interrupt them.

In a hushed tone, he asked, "Do you have any idea where Kensi went today?"

Nell nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised that she told you everything. But given what happened to the last team, I would have expected you to be at least a little quieter about it."

"What do you mean, 'what happened to the last team'?"

She pursed her lips and suddenly seemed very concentrated on typing in a few letters. "Look-"

"Nell. Kensi is the most important person in the world to me. If something went wrong with this mission, I need to know exactly what's going on." Deeks said with gentle determination.

The intelligence analyst remained silent for two minutes more while intently searching for something on her tablet. She handed it to Deeks and said, "A security camera caught her climbing a fence into a parking lot from an abadonded school next door. She was being pursued by a number of men, I can't get a clear count. Since then, I found her on two more traffic cams, and she's still moving."

"Keep me posted, Nell."

Before Deeks could leave, she called after him, "Get a head start, I'll brief Callen and Sam. You're going to need the extra manpower. Security clearance be damned, Kensi needs all the help she can get."

Deeks had never ran out to his car so quickly before in his entire life. He threw his truck into drive and disregarded every single traffic law in order to reach the intersection Nell had told him was Kensi's last known location. Stuck momentarily in traffic, Deeks pressed a com into his eardrum, listening for the first sign of new information.

Seven minutes later, about fifteen still from Kensi's last known location, Nell connected the com channel.

"Sam and Callen just left. I can't find Kensi anymore after the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Sunset."

Deeks jerked the wheel to the left, planning out a new route with the new information given.

"There's one more thing. I can't make out the details yet, but there's been a motor vehicle collision a block to the north."

The blond took a moment to pray. But he got an answer anyway.

"The motorcycle Kensi stole is in the middle of it."

**Sorry for the short chapter- I promise the next one is much longer. So, my laptop crashed so if updates are little more sparse for the next two weeks, that's why. Thank you all for the PMs, reviews, favorites and follows. You guys rock!**


	7. Farewell

**_I dedicate this chapter to Mike and Justin_**

* * *

><p><em>"There's one more thing. I can't make out the details yet, but there's been a motor vehicle collision a block to the north."<em>

_The blond took a moment to pray. But he got an answer anyway._

_"The motorcycle Kensi stole is in the middle of it."_

* * *

><p>Kensi pulled out into the street, cutting off a large truck and being penalized for it by a massive honk. She revved the engine, swerving in between cars to further distance herself from the chaos behind. Then came the certain realization that there was nowhere to go back to. Ops was out of the question, she couldn't endanger her friends—her family. Forget her house. Forget Deeks's. She had to get out of Los Angeles as soon as possible.<p>

Kensi could drive out of the state on the motorcycle, but it'd be too easy to track. She ran through ideas—all the urban training and courses she took. The more she thought, the more instinct took over. Her days of living on the street came rushing back, and suddenly she knew exactly where to go. She made a hard left and cut across a few lanes of traffic. The agent checked her mirrors for a tail, but didn't find anybody driving more recklessly than she.

She couldn't let that fool her. With no immediate weapons she couldn't fight. And she was praying like hell that Deeks wouldn't come to be backup. Kensi continued driving for a long time, taking random turns and mapping out her plan. Well, what faintly resembled a plan.

After she was almost one hundred percent certain she had gained enough distance, Kensi pulled the vehicle into the closest ally way and stopped behind a dumpster so that she was hidden from the street. She turned off the motorcycle and let her head fall against the brick wall next to her. The adrenaline had stopped flowing through her blood, leaving her nearly breathless and in more pain than before. Kensi tried rotating her arm, but couldn't move it all the way around before retracting it with a gasp. Something was really wrong; there was no time to worry about it.

She waited until she had caught her breath, but Kensi revved the engine back to life to push forward. She drove it out to the end of the alley, looking for an opening in the traffic. Seeing a space between a taxi and a black SUV several yards back, she began to pull out when a gunshot sent her barreling to the right and off the bike. She scrambled out of the street, watching as the motorcycle went flying from a car in the second lane hitting it. It landed on the other side of traffic. One car swerved in front of the other cars, and before even ten seconds were over there were half a dozen vehicles caught in the accident.

Kensi checked herself. She hadn't been hit—it was pure instinct that drove her body out of the line of fire. Pedestrians who had heard the shot were running all around her. Those in the accident were slamming their horns, poking their heads out of car windows in search of the cause. Kensi caught sight of the black SUV she had spotted earlier, which had been hit by another car. It didn't seem to faze whoever was inside, because three armed men climbed out of it.

She dashed back into the ally, drawing the men away from any innocent civilians. Kensi wasn't far from her destination. If she could make it there alive, she could lose them easily. Key phrase: making it there alive.

The ping of gunfire off the dumpster echoed in her ears. She dodged down an annexing route, this time narrower than the one before. There would be no place to hide if they caught up with her. Kensi sprinted down the alley, and at last found some good luck in the form of a service ladder that lead to the roof of a one story building. She hoisted herself up the metal as fast as she could.

Kensi reached the top and immediately pressed herself to the damp rooftop from the rain the night before. The thunder boomed above, measuring to the hammering of her heart. She crawled towards the far side of the roof, using only her left arm to haul herself forward. Once she was sure that the VOAM members couldn't see her from the ally, Kensi pulled herself up and jumped to the neighboring rooftop.

The next building was two stories—she was going to have to climb down. Kensi, seeing no latter, used a plastic pipe to slide down the side of the building. This was like a freaking game of Pac-man. Her enemies weren't directly on top of her, but somewhere definitely close. Kensi jogged back into the bigger ally and sprinted for the train yard she knew was just out of reach.

She reached the end of the drive just in time for the bullets to start flying again. Kensi ducked, but continued her run. There was a fence separating from her and the street that had the train yard, and a dumpster to help her get over it.

Looking back only briefly to see a single shooter, Kensi leapt on top of the closed dumpster, and launched herself over the fence. She fell into a roll, the pain in her shoulder leaving her paralyzed on the pavement. Another round of fire forced her to head for the road, where she dodged across four lanes of traffic. She kicked a hole through the wooden fence, and ducked through, just to see the three shooters following her path.

Kensi looked around the storage containers and broken down engines. It had changed a lot since the countless nights she used to squat here while homeless. She took off towards the left and ducked behind an engine. They were too close to lose, she would take them down one at a time.

She watched as the three men entered the train yard, only to promptly split up again. They weren't like the guys who had attacked her at the school. No, they were from an Arab descent, these men were Caucasian. One of them came her way. She braced herself.

As soon as the man was in sight, Kensi tackled him from the side. She left hooked him several times until she felt him go limp underneath her. By no means was he dead, but certainly beyond helping his buddies kill her. She took his gun and searched the unconscious man for extra ammo. Kensi counted her findings, totaling only four bullets. This must have been the guy shooting at her in the alley. Just her luck.

With a groan, she moved along. Kensi crept among the dirt as the rain came pouring down, peering around corners and listening intently for any signs of her assailants. She moved about the place, deciding to head in the direction of the actual station. If she needed to make a quick escape from combat, she would have somewhere to go.

Kensi began to move further and further into the train yard. She couldn't find evidence of anybody. Not a sound, not a sight.

_Where were they?_

She rounded a corner and literally ran into her answer. There was a flurry of limbs and a scramble for guns. Kensi was pinned down by the other man, and couldn't force the barrel of the gun to him. She backhanded him across the face, shifting his weight barely enough to lodge her gun into him. There was no hesitation when pulling the trigger. One shot. She had to save what bullets she had left. The body next to her disappeared for a moment, but Kensi didn't have time to relax. The guy landed a rather weak kick to her side, forcing her to fire the gun twice more. At last, the miscreant fell dead in front of her.

Kensi tossed the gun aside and went to recover the weapon from the dead man's body. She didn't bother checking the ammo; his backup would have heard the shots. The brunette ran off to the side, finding a shipping container to duck behind just as a bullet ricocheted somewhere near her head. Sliding to the ground, she leaned out from the side and fired thrice, not a single one hitting their mark.

Return fire forced her behind the container again, and inspired her to check her ammo count. Three more shots left. Taking a deep breath, Kensi shot up, found her target, and sent her last bullets into the body. She sighed with relief, letting her body lose the tension.

The universe refused to let Kensi Blye have a break that day.

Something—or rather someone—grabbed her from behind and held her in a firm chokehold. Kensi elbowed her attacker in the stomach, but his grip did not loosen. All her efforts to break the hold only made the black spots dance in front of her eyes faster. She was slipping away, and quickly. Her attacker wouldn't settle for a knock-out, he was strangling her to death.

There was a loud noise, and suddenly the arm slid from under her neck, the wall behind her dropped. Kensi collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Once her vision cleared, she saw a familiar blond partner bent down next to her.

"You okay?"

Kensi nodded, saving her words for when she stopped coughing. "Better now." She looked down to the dead man, his face bloody and bruised. It was the guy she had knocked out earlier.

Deeks pulled her into a gentle hug, rubbing circles on her back. They remained silent for a moment, until they heard more men approaching. Both she and Deeks tensed up, he raised his gun, only to be confronted by Sam and Callen. Everybody holstered their weapons, reveling in the fact that they were all still alive.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kensi breathily asked.

"Nell told us everything," Callen explained briefly. "Which means you have to get out of here."

"She's burned too. Everybody on the task force-" Kensi fell into another coughing fit, and continued when managed to stop, "they'll be killed soon."

"Nell doesn't think so. Nobody's come after her or the others yet. Look, our main concern right now is you. We don't have time to discuss anything else." Sam interjected. He handed her a comically thick, tan envelope. "One way train ticket. Hetty wouldn't tell us where."

The brunette paused, staring at it for a long moment. "I can't thank you guys enough for coming to protect me. I'll try to keep in touch." She turned to go, but was stopped by the voice she had found so endearing.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Kensi turned to see Deeks standing there, crossing his arms. "You're crazy if you think I'm not coming with you."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"I'm not waiting for you to."

Kensi caught herself staring fiercely into the equally-as-fierce eyes of her partner. She didn't even recognize Sam and Callen's presence. Right then and there, it was just Kensi and Deeks, Deeks and Kensi. Their moment was interrupted by Sam and Callen both throwing down duffle bags that Kensi hadn't even noticed they were carrying.

"Take care of her Deeks," Callen took his hand in a firm handshake.

"Always," he replied. "You guys too, seeing as we won't be around to back you up for a while."

Kensi felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the overwhelming information to process. Hetty had known about their op. She could only assume that Nell had gotten their go-bags from work. Much more, between the two of them, they had an entire escape planned out for her and Deeks that meant not seeing their family for who knew how long.

Sam hugged both of the younger team members. "You better get going. We'll make it safe for you two to come home soon. We promise."

Deeks hoisted both of the go-bags onto his shoulder, touched Kensi lightly on the back, and forced them to make a run for the station. Kensi tore open the envelope, eyed their destination on the tickets, and stuffed everything back into it.

They finally reached a platform that was void of a train, but not empty of passengers eyeing them strangely. Deeks climbed up first, and then helped Kensi. The two jogged to the edge of the platform where it had the list of departures for the next hour: theirs was in two minutes.

"Where are we going?"

"Platform Ten," Kensi answered, pulling Deeks along this time. The partners dodged their way through people to make way to their destination. Following the signs, they sprinted for the stairs that would take them to the platform. At last Kensi and Deeks found themselves outside, the train shutting its doors for departure. They raced along the side, finally reaching a door still open.

Kensi and Deeks launched themselves on the train car, leaning into each other as they caught their breath. The doors sealed behind them, cutting them off from the rest of the world.

Kensi felt Deeks's breathing steady against her and he promptly asked, "So, where to next?"

"New York City. We're heading back east."

**Author's Note:**

**It's been a rough month for me and my high school. Two students died within a month of each other (unrelated causes), both only sixteen years old. Live today, because tomorrow is never guaranteed. **

_**In Loving Memory**_

_**Mike D.**_

_**(1998-2015)**_

_**Justin J.**_

_**(1998-2015)**_

_Rest easy guys, we miss you._

_"Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us everyday. Unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed."_


	8. Rule Number One

**Author's Note:**

**Wow has this month been rough, per my author's note last chapter. I hope all is well with every single one of you. I apologize for the lateness, I JUST got my repaired laptop back (small things, right?)**

**-C**

* * *

><p><em>Kensi and Deeks launched themselves on the train car, leaning into each other as they caught their breath. The doors sealed behind them, cutting them off from the rest of the world.<em>

_Kensi felt Deeks's breathing steady against her and he promptly asked, "So, where to next?"_

_"New York City. We're heading back east."_

* * *

><p>Deeks swallowed a lump in his throat. New York. He hadn't been there in ages…and for good reason too. The blond set down the bags he had been carrying and took the envelope from Kensi. He double checked the tickets, surprised that Hetty had gotten them seats in business class. Pocketing the paperwork for later, Deeks shouldered both of their bags and took Kensi's hand, leading her car by car until they reached the right one. Immediately on the right was a table in the middle of four seats facing each other. Peering around, he could only spot three other single riders, two of whom were too old to bother them.<p>

"Right here. Kens," Deeks said, shoving their bags into the compartment above. He steadied his partner as the train lurched forward, and helped her sit.

"I'm fine," she insisted, but the groan escaping her lips betrayed her words.

"Just sit back and rest for a moment, would you?"

Deeks fell into the seat opposite of Kensi, drumming his fingers on the table as he waited for a conductor. None too soon, he came about and scanned both their tickets, wishing them a safe and comfortable journey. Like that would happen. He looked back over at Kensi, who was staring at the window with a blank expression. She was holding her arm tight to her stomach, wincing whenever the train shook and rattled.

He stood up, reaching into the top compartment for their bags. Deeks rummaged through them a little bit, identifying Kensi's by her Wonder Woman sports bra. He closed up the bag and checked the side pocket for a first aid kit, a wave of relief washing over when he felt the hard plastic.

"Come on, let's patch you up," Deeks said, standing in the aisle next to Kensi.

"I don't need you to. I'm fine," she replied, not meeting his eyes.

"Kensi."

She resigned with a sigh, hoisting herself up with her uninjured arm. Deeks kept her close as they made their way to the other end of the car, and slid open the door to the handicap stall. He locked the door behind them, setting the bag duffle of the floor, and opening the first aid kit over the sink. The detective watched as Kensi took in her appearance in the mirror. Her jacket was scraped up, a bullet hole near the hem of it. Blood spots stained her jeans, also ripped at the knee. Kensi tried to remove her arms from the sleeves, whimpering as she did so.

"Hey, let me help. What's hurting?" Deeks asked, gently sliding the article of clothing off of her body.

"My right shoulder. I can barely move it," she gasped.

"I can take a look at it, try to lift your arms above your head."

Kensi slowly but surely did has he asked. Her face was twisted with pain, making Deeks lift off her shirt as carefully as possible. He was left looking at her bare back, her right shoulder scraped and swollen. The blond pushed her bra strap down her arm so he could clearly see the affected area.

"Well?"

Deeks took his thumb and gently pressed on the area, feeling Kensi flinch at his touch.

His thoughts suddenly jumped to a case nearly three years ago. Hiding out in the garage of her mom's place, trying to convince her to let him help her. How things had changed...and how things hadn't.

Deeks returned his attention to the present, recognizing that he had definitely seen this kind of injury before. A very long time ago.

"It hurts every time you move it?"

"Like a bitch."

Deeks sighed. "I think you have a fractured scapula, but it's not the worse I've ever seen. The best thing we can do is ice it and immobilize your arm as much as possible."

He immediately reached for the alcohol-soaked wipes and cleaned out her scrapes, drawing out blood as he went. Kensi hissed while he worked. Deeks began punching a cheap ice-pack to life, holding it to her back when it was cold enough.

"How did you find me? In the train yard?"

"I followed the sound of the gun shots. Nell directed me to the car accident only a few minutes after it happened."

"Lucky for me I wasn't in it, just my stolen ride."

Deeks's heart dropped to his stomach, thinking about what could have happened even if he arrived only a few seconds later. One traffic light, one missed turn, and it all could have been over. He blinked several times, forcing his thoughts to tear away from that track. He stood there, silent, for longer than he thought, eventually shaken by Kensi's words: "Ice-pack isn't cold anymore."

He promptly removed it from her skin and began unrolling the Ace bandage. It had been a long time, but he was pretty sure he remembered how to wrap a shoulder. Deeks wound it around her body, her arm set at an angle across her stomach. He took the tape and secured the bandage in several locations before being satisfied with his handiwork.

Kensi opened her bag and rummaged through it, searching for clothes to change into. Deeks looked for the painkillers as his partner cleaned out her scraped knee with the wipes and slipped out of her ruined jeans and into paint-stained leggings.

"Can you help me with this?" she inquired, holding up an old USMC sweatshirt. He unzipped it for her, sliding it over her arms as if it were an expensive coat.

"Take these," Deeks said, dropping several pills into her palm. He packed up the first-aid kit and dumped it back into Kensi's duffle bag. Kensi took the painkillers, zipped up her hoodie, and slipped into her sneakers.

"You good?"

"Better," she replied. "Not good."

"Come on, we have stuff to look over in that envelope of yours."

They left the bathroom, returning to the near-empty train car. Deeks fished the envelope out of Kensi's bag before returning it to the compartment above. He dumped its contents out on the table, and Kensi began sorting through it before her boyfriend could even sit down.

"What is all of this stuff?" He asked, recognizing the look in Kensi's eyes. She passed him a wallet, looking at an identical one in front of her.

Deeks raised an eyebrow at her and opened up the wallet. It was his picture on the driver's license, but not his name. Further, he realized that it was one for New York, not California. Then he saw the name: Justin Warren

Frantically, he began searching through the documents. Histories, passports, credit cards…they were all there…all in the names of Justin and Melissa Warren.

"There is no way Hetty just threw this all together. I mean, what is this? A whole different life waiting for us in New York?" Kensi rubbed the weariness in her eyes.

"Hetty's ultimate contingency plan I guess," Deeks muttered, replacing his wallet with Justin Warren's. "She found an identity that worked for us and kept them in case we ever needed them."

Kensi shuffled some papers around, uncovering a tiny plastic bag with two wedding bands in it. She held it up to the light, not needing to examine them to know that they were the same ones wore while undercover three years ago.

"Nell must have given Callen and Sam all of this before they left. She must have known we would be running," the brunette marveled in a bitter tone. She hit the table with an open palm, snatching everything up and shoving it back into the envelope angrily.

Deeks sighed, hiding the envelope in the compartment above. He slumped back into his seat, stacking the miniature pillows that came with business class up against the window and leaned up against them.

"Talk to me, Kens."

She shook her head, focusing on the city scenery passing outside the window. Deeks could tell she was having a difficult time keeping it together.

"Come here," he said, reaching for her hand.

Kensi moved around to his side, folding up his hand of the table to make more room. She leaned into his chest, pulling both of her legs to hers and resting them up against the table. Deeks wrapped his arm around her (minding the injured soldier) as she buried her face in his shirt.

"I screwed up. I put the lives of task force members, our friends, and you, because I wasn't competent enough to protect even myself. And now you're paying the price for it too."

"You know this isn't your fault, and I certainly don't blame you. We're partners, okay? I go where you go. You don't have all of the answers and neither do I, but I don't care how long we're away from home if you're safe from these guys."

"VOAM. They're called VOAM, short for Victims of American Military. We don't know much other than we have a mole feeding them information, and we're trying to find out where they'll attack next."

Deeks began running his fingers through her messy ponytail, trying to show her that her wasn't going anywhere. "Do you know how you were burned?"

"I think my first meeting with Robinson—the guy I was translating intelligence with—was bugged. If Nell really thinks that she hasn't been burned too, and with Robinson dead and them coming after me…it had to be then."

"That means the mole would have to be in Los Angeles. Do you think that's why Nell stayed behind with Sam and Callen?"

"Maybe. I hope she's not putting herself at risk unnecessarily."

"That goes for you too," Deeks said urgently. "I almost lost you back there, and we're not coming that close again. No more of this 'I'm doing this to protect you' crap. We're friends and partners and...boyfriend and girlfriend. The door swings both ways."

"Okay," Kensi agreed. After a moment she began to chuckle. "Sounds like a code to our relationship or something."

Deeks smirked. "Well if it is, let's make it rule number one." He pressed a firm and long kiss to her hair. "Get some sleep, Fern. It's going to be a long trip."


End file.
